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Archaeologists have discovered the remains of ancient Egyptian pharaohs in burial chambers under pyramids. Some of these sarcophaguses have been excavated and can be found in glass display cases in museums around the world.

their pharaohs as living gods. These pyramids represented a link between heaven and earth. They were the launching pads for souls to reach heaven. The ancient Egyptians believed in the afterlife.The treatment of the dead in this world was essential to eternal life after death.They believed that when they died they would stand before the god Osiris and 42 judges. On Judgment Day, their heart supposedly would be placed on one side of a scale and a feather would be placed on the other side, and the gods would gauge whether a person’s heart was heavy with sin. Each pyramid contained a series of burial chambers, ventilation shafts, and passageways.The pharaoh’s sarcophagus was placed in the king’s burial chamber, along with items that might be needed in the afterlife: gold, favorite objects, and pottery. Throughout history, scholars have debated how exactly the pyramids were built. Take the Great Pyramid, for example.When it was erected, it stood about 480 feet tall or about the size of a 44-story building. Until 1887 when the Eiffel Tower was completed, it was the tallest struc- ture on the planet. It has a base measuring 592,000 square feet or about 13.5 acres.

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